Page 9 of Elicit (Decadence After Dark)

A moment later, the doorbell rings.

I hurry down the stairs and across the high-gloss marble foyer to answer it. There are no visitors on the roster for today.

I swing open the massive mahogany front door and come face to face with a woman. A stunning woman. My heart slams into my ribcage when I meet her eyes. Big, bold, blue, bewitching.

“Can I help you?” I ask like a dope.

The statuesque redhead gazes at me with an imperial air.

“Sasha sent me. She told me you’d be expecting me.”

“How do you know I’m the one you’re looking for?” I lean against the doorframe sporting a sarcastic smirk.

One corner of her pink glossed lips turns up. “A tall, blond, handsome smartass with turquoise eyes. If that’s not you, I’m looking for your doppelgänger.”

My smile widens on its own accord. Cheeky little robin. “If you know my name, you’ll be granted access.”

“Jett.” She hums the magic word, and her melodic voice vibrates all the way down my spine.Damn.

“And you are?” I step aside, inviting her in.

“London.” She passes through the entryway like she’s floating in her heels. What a fucking woman.

I motion to the driver of the car to leave her bags in the foyer before I escort her through the house.

“I assume Sasha sent you to work.”

London pauses to look at me. Something brewing behind her beguiling blue eyes. “Yes. She thought a change of scenery would be good for me.”

Well, it’s sure as fuck great for me.

“Okay then, let’s talk.” I lead her into my office.What?Did you think Kayne was the only one with a workspace?

Although decorated vastly different from my partner’s study, it serves much of the same purpose.

I motion for her to sit in the white, tufted chair opposite my desk. The room has a contemporary feel. Cool gray, built-in bookshelves, dark hardwood floors, and a freestanding, polished wood desk with potted white orchids. Understated and masculine with a modern flair.

I pull out a folder from one of the drawers behind me. All records of the girls are hard copy. No electronic trails. Easier to destroy. All I need is a flick of a match.

“This is going to be a little formal. But I give the rundown to every woman who comes to work for us,” I explain, trying my damnedest not to get distracted by her silky legs crossed directly in front of me. Her form-fitting black dress leaves little to the imagination with its plunging neckline and micro-mini length. But even wearing something so provocative, she comes across as classy instead of trashy.

I concentrate heavily on filling out the form instead of the image of the enrapturing redhead on her knees.

All in due time.

I inhale a collective breath and begin the assessment process.

“I want to first and foremost say that what happens in this house stays in this house. Every employee is my responsibility. And I take that responsibility extremely seriously. You have choices. Mansion is not a prison. You can leave whenever you want. You can say no to whatever you want. This is not forced sexual labor. You need to enjoy the job as much as the customers enjoy the service. Do you have any issues with that?”

The coy smile she arrived with never leaves her plump lips. “No.” She chuckles discreetly, almost to herself.

“Did I say something that amused you?”

“Not really. You just sound like Sasha.”

“Yes, well, we share many of the same viewpoints and run very similar operations.”

“Yours seems to be quite a bit more substantial.”

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